A Shinra Turk Love Story
by Lostremnant
Summary: 29 drabbles of Rufus and Tseng.
1. Shinra Never Give Up

OK, I posted my first entry of Livejournal's 30 Kisses challenge as a separate story To Keep and Cherish. Then it occured to me belatedly that I couldn't post all 30 entries as separate stories...well I could but that would be very, very messy. So I will be posting the remaining 29 entries in this story slot. They will not however be done in order. Like Reno I can be organised only so far before something gives.

So here is my second entry of the 30 Kisses challenge #16: invincible.

Disclaimer: Characters and world setting are the property of Square Enix.

Notes: This takes place during the timeline of the game itself shortly after the events at the Temple of the Ancients.

Shinra Never Give Up

He had thought that Tseng was invincible. After so many years with Tseng by his side, he just had come to assume that Tseng would always come out on top, would always outwit any opponent, would always **win** no matter what the odds.

Rufus Shinra sat behind his desk, the desk that had recently been his father's but which was now his and simply stared at the finished woodwork. There were piles of papers on the desk, reports of sightings of Sephiroth, reports of sightings of Weapons those guardians of the Planet, reports on the status of the project to gather large materia. He ignored them all. It wasn't like him to ignore pressing situations but the news of Tseng's death had overridden any other news that called for his attention.

In his hand was an ivory chess piece. He had absentmindedly picked it up from the chess board in his apartment and brought it with him to his office. Rufus felt a sudden pang as he realized that now the chess game that he and Tseng had been playing would never be finished. Sephiroth had seen to that.

At the thought of the silver-haired General, Rufus' hand clenched around the chess piece. Sephiroth would pay. Oh yes he would surely pay. No one got away with killing one of **his** Turks, especially his favorite one...especially his lover. The blond's eyes were dry. He wasn't the crying type no matter how much pain he was in whether emotional or physical. They said that no one had ever seen him bleed or cry. Well the bleeding part was ridiculous of course. People had seen him bleed especially after one of his father's beatings but it was true that no one had ever seen him cry. Tseng had come the closest to seeing him cry when Rufus had been a child but even then the blond had learned to hide his tears.

Rufus drew a deep breath and bit his lip. He eyed the reports that covered the desk. Part of him wanted to just sweep them off into a heap onto the floor. What good were any plans to save Midgar, to save the Planet when Tseng was no longer by his side? But Rufus knew that Tseng would not want him to give up. He could hear the Wutaian's calm voice in his mind.

"_You are Shinra, Sir and Shinra do not give up...ever."_

"I won't give up, Tseng," Rufus whispered. "If only to see that bastard pay for taking you away from me."

He reached out and picked up one of the reports, opened it and began reading. He had to start over twice because at first the words just weren't registering in his mind but he forced himself to focus and after a while the only sound in the room was the occasional rustle of paper as the blond turned a page. The light through the window grew dim as the sun set but darkness didn't come as a reddish tint was cast over everything by the glowing almost throbbing orb that hung in the sky.

Rufus set down the report he had been reading and turned his chair to the window. Meteor loomed over Midgar like some demon. In a way it was a demon summoned by Sephiroth to destroy the Planet for some mad reason that only the General could fully comprehend. And Rufus could only hope that the large Materia that his people were gathering together and which would be placed on a rocket to hurtle to impact on that glowing malevolence would stop the thing.

He closed his eyes as he realized that he would have to travel to Rocket Town to oversee the readying of the rocket that had stood there unused for so many years. For all anyone knew the thing wouldn't even be able to get off the ground now. So many things had to be done, so many decisions he had to make.

_Tseng..._

Rufus pushed the pain of the loss of his lover to the back of his mind. He had to be able to think clearly. There would be plenty of time to mourn if they succeeded in stopping Meteor. And if they did not succeed then it would not matter. He would join Tseng in death.

There was a sudden ringing in the room and it took Rufus a few seconds to realize that it was his PHS. He pulled it out. Only the Turks had the number for his cell phone.

"Yes?" he said. For several moments he said nothing but the expression on his face gradually changed from surprise to shock to what could only be called hope.

"Are you sure?" he demanded. "This better not be just a rumor, Reno." He listened for a few minutes more then said, "I want to be notified as soon as you land. I mean immediately, Reno."

Rufus closed the device and put it back in his pocket. He stared out the window but he wasn't seeing anything, not even Meteor.

Alive. Tseng was alive. Badly injured but alive. Even now the Turks had commandeered a helicopter and were bringing him back to Midgar where the best medical treatment was available.

And then, hours later, Tseng was there in the Shin-Ra wing of the hospital, hooked up to various machines and in a coma but **alive.**

Rufus stood near the bed looking down at his lover. There were swathes of bandages across the Wutaian's chest, the middle of the bandages had a slight red tinge to them. The length of the wound made Rufus shudder. Sephiroth's Masamune had ripped Tseng open. The doctor had said that some instinct must have made the Wutaian move back a split second before Sephiroth had attacked so that only the tip of the huge sword had sliced him instead of impaling him through. That was what had saved him. Nevertheless it was a serious wound and they would probably keep the man in a coma for another couple of weeks and then it would take months for him to fully recover.

Rufus then considered the irony. In a couple of weeks there might no longer be a planet for Tseng to wake up in. But if there was...if there was then Rufus would for once be there for Tseng instead of the other way around.

The door opened and a nurse poked her head in. "I'm sorry, President Shinra but you will have to leave now so we can change the dressings."

Rufus nodded. "Just give me a moment."

The nurse withdrew and Rufus was again alone with his lover. There was an oxygen mask covering Tseng's nose and mouth to help him breathe so Rufus bent over and gently kissed the man's forehead. Straightening up, he put his hand in his pocket and withdrew the ivory chess piece which he carefully placed on the endtable next to the bed. Then he left the room feeling hopeful for the first time in days.


	2. A Most Apt Symbol

Originally written for 30 Kisses on Livejournal.

Disclaimer: Characters and world setting are property of Square Enix.

**A Most Apt Symbol**

He found it among the ruins of the Shin-Ra tower when he went there to inspect the grounds to determine just how much of an effort it was going to take to raze what was left.

Rufus no longer felt depressed at the sight of the ruins. Perhaps his previous depressions had been more the result of injuries and illness than grief at the toppling of the Shin-Ra empire. Now he simply felt irritation that the grounds had not yet been cleared. He wanted to rebuild Midgar, not build a new city nearby. Edge to him was nothing more than a temporary arrangement.

He wanted Midgar to rise again. It wouldn't look quite the same of course since there would be no Mako reactors surrounding it but it would be Midgar. Rufus had managed to get Reeve interested in his dream of resurrecting the city from the ashes. Reeve after all was the original architect of Midgar only his blueprints had not been entirely followed by Rufus' father. Rufus had only to give Reeve the temptation of building Midgar the way it should have been to have the man agree to follow Rufus' dream...warily it was true but still agree.

His fingers twitched with impatience, ideas filled his mind with possibilities, logistics and plans. The first thing of course was to get this broken concrete, twisted steel and shattered glass out of the way.

Rufus heard footsteps crunching on the debris behind him and he turned his head to see Tseng approaching him. The Turk had a frown on his face and a corner of Rufus' mouth quirked. He recognized the expression on his lover's face. Rufus was going to get a scolding.

Tseng came to his side and eyed the blond with just barely concealed exasperation. "Rufus, you shouldn't go off by yourself like that. Do you want someone to shoot you? You still have enemies who would like to see you dead."

Rufus turned back to the fractured building and shrugged. "If someone is really determined to kill me and doesn't mind dying himself then I doubt there is much that can be done to deter him."

"But must you make it easy for them?"

It was a frequent bone of contention between the two, Rufus' desire for freedom and Tseng's insistence on keeping him safe. As leader of the Turks it was his job of course but it went much further than that.

"You're right, Tseng. I am sorry."

Tseng shook his head but a small smile lifted his lips. "Now you're just trying to placate me."

Rufus smirked. The two had known each other for many years and each of them knew the modus operandi of the other only too well. Tseng would scold, Rufus would apologize and then turn around and do the very same thing again that had resulted in a scolding in the first place. It was almost like a game between them.

Rufus looked down at the discovery he had made only a few minutes ago. He gestured at it.

"Look what I found, Tseng."

Tseng looked and saw nestled in the corner of two concrete blocks a small treelike plant with three white flowers on it.

"A gardenia," Tseng said. "It's unusual that it would be still alive after three years. It must have originally been part of the landscaping around the building."

The two men stood side by side in companionable silence for a few minutes while regarding the fragile promise of renewal tucked into a corner of the ruins.

"I want it uprooted ... carefully of course,.. and put somewhere safe until the new headquarters is finished," Rufus said suddenly.

The blond could almost feel Tseng's quizzical look upon him. His lover's confusion was understandable. Rufus was not a sentimental man.

Rufus turned and looked up at Tseng. "It's a survivor," he said firmly, "and so are we."

Understanding dawned in the dark eyes regarding Rufus and Tseng nodded. "Yes," he said, "we are survivors, Rufus." His eyes went back to the gardenia. He smiled. "A most apt symbol."

"I'm glad you agree." Rufus bent down to smell one of the flowers and a petal brushed his lips in a feathery kiss.


	3. The Light at the End of the Day

Title: The Light at the End of the Day  
Author: lostremnant  
Fandom: Final Fantasy VII  
Pairing: Rufus/Tseng  
Theme: #8 our own world  
Rating: PG-13  
Disclaimer: Characters and world setting are the property of Square-Enix. 

The Light at the End of the Day

Tseng shifted his weight to ease a cramp that felt as though it was going to twist his right calf into a pretzel. But his eyes never left the doorway of a building up the street opposite. He was standing against the wall of an alley keeping as much of himself hidden as possible.

The cramp was beginning to recede and Tseng released his breath. Stake-outs were boring at best and remarkably exhausting especially if there wasn't anyplace where you could sit as the hours passed by. Periodically Tseng would stretch the muscles in his legs so they wouldn't lock up if he had to move quickly. Moving quickly was an absolute necessity for a Turk. Reflexes had saved his life more times than Tseng could count or at least more times than he was willing to count.

Every Turk knew that sooner or later his or her number would be up. There had never been a Turk who had died from old age although Tseng wondered if the hidden former Turk, his mentor Veld would be the first.

_Not if Shinra gets hold of him. But Veld is too smart to let himself be taken._

But every Turk did whatever was necessary to keep their number from coming up. Turks could survive injuries that would kill the average person. And Turks had determination.

Now, however, Tseng had an additional reason to keep himself alive. It wasn't the wisest of reasons. Turks were discouraged from having relationships. Relationships got in the way of the job. Yet relationships often rose between the Turks themselves. Despite their training and their ruthless job, they were still human with human feelings and human needs.

Tseng had to stay alive to protect HIM. The Shin-Ra prince, the heir or, as many people at Shin-Ra referred to him, the spoiled brat. Tseng's lips quirked at the thought. Yes, Rufus was spoiled and yes he could be a complete brat, cold and ruthless but there was steel beneath that affluent exterior. And there was warmth although Tseng was the only one to see that. The only one who was allowed to see it. Because the world of Shin-Ra, hell all of Midgar was a predatory one that would descend in a blood frenzy upon any sign of weakness displayed.

Forced to become Vice-President of Shin-Ra at a much too young age, given no real power but thrown into the pit of vipers that was the executive level, Rufus Shinra had only Tseng as an anchor of strength that he could rely upon. Him and lately the other Turks as well. Old man Shinra's purge of the Turks had created resentment. Tseng smiled thinly. Shinra's personal guard wasn't quite as loyal as it was before. Rufus' bid for power had failed but the Turks did not blame him as he had saved their leader Veld and as many of the others that he could.

Tseng's musings came to an end as the door he had been watching opened and the target, after a glance around, stepped out onto the sidewalk. The Turk's eyes narrowed, adrenalin began pumping into his veins. He was once more a predator on the hunt. The target began walking away from the building he had exited. Silently Tseng slipped around the corner out of the alley and began to shadow the man. From some other angle, Tseng knew that another Turk, a large bald man called Rude was also following. The light was becoming dim. One couldn't really call it sunlight because it was so defused from the pollution of the mako reactors but with its leaving it would be easier to follow the target as pockets of darkness would be created between the soft neon lights of the upper plate.

Tseng knew the name of the man. It was Henry Barton. But he preferred to simply think of him as 'the target'. Barton had made the mistake of thinking he could sell Shin-Ra manufacturing secrets. Actually he had sold a mass of mis-information created precisely in order to reveal who the industrial spy was. And now Barton was going to learn that you didn't betray Shin-Ra. Not unless you were tired of living.

The fool didn't even know that he had been exposed. He was making no attempt to flee or even hide. It would make Tseng's job that much easier although Tseng reflected ruefully that had he known that Barton was such an idiot, Tseng could have spent the day more constructively finishing up paperwork at his desk and then paying Barton a visit in the evening at the man's home.

But he had had no way of knowing so he simply followed the man to his townhouse. It was a nice townhouse in an expensive area of the upper plate and owning it was one of the things that had made Barton stand out and had led Tseng to focus on him. Someone with Barton's salary should not have been able to afford a townhouse in that area of Midgar. It was just another indication of Barton's stupidity.

He allowed Barton to enter the townhouse and waited in a shadow darkened area across the street. Rude slipped in beside him. The two Turks waited until it was fully dark then crossed the street and knocked on the door of the townhouse. After a few seconds the door opened and Barton stood before him. The man's face paled when he saw Turks on his doorstep. It was never a good sign to have a visit from Turks.

"Good evening, Mr. Barton," Tseng said smoothly. "May we come in?"

It was empty courtesy of course. They were coming in whether Barton liked it or not. And the man knew it. He backed up, his eyes never leaving Tseng's face.

Rude did a quick check of the place, nodding to Tseng when he was through to indicate that there was no one else there. Tseng smiled at Barton who was licking his lips nervously.

"You have not been a trustworthy employee, Mr. Barton," Tseng said mildly.

"I...I...don't know what you mean," The man was clearly terrified but also was making some effort to pull himself together. Tseng eyed him.

_He thinks he can talk his way out of this. He still doesn't realize that judgement has already been given and that we're the executioners not the judges._

Tseng sighed at the man's stupidity. "Rude," he said quietly.

Rude looked around and then picked up a chair and brought it to the center of the room. He walked over to Barton, took him by the throat and slammed him into the chair. While Barton was trying to recover his breath, the large Turk whipped Barton's necktie off and used it to tie his hands behind the back of the chair.

If Barton had been terrified before he was now hysterical with fear. His wide eyes stared at Tseng. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I won't do it again, I promise. Please just let me go. I'll leave Midgar. It was only plans for a small engine. I sold them to Mertcor, you could probably get them back they probably still have them at their headquarters ..."

Tseng gave Barton a contemptuous look.

_We've hardly even touched him and already he's spilling his guts. Well at least this should make a short night of it._

"What we want to know, Mr. Barton is who else was working with you from Shin-Ra. I'm sure you're willing to tell us that aren't you? Because if you don't..." Tseng's voice trailed off and his eyes flicked over to Rude who immediately began cracking his knuckles.

It was crude and melodramatic but it was all that it took with a spineless weasel like Barton. Within moments he had spilled the names of three more Shin-Ra employees. Tseng made a note of the names then took his gun out of his holster. Barton gasped.

"No..I told you what you wanted! You said you'd let me go!"

Tseng glared at the man. "I told you no such thing," he responded coldly. "Your own desperation made you think I would let you go. But traitors to Shin-Ra are never let go, Barton. Not alive at any rate."

The Wutaian extended his arm and put a bullet between Barton's eyes. The man's body slumped forward, blood beginning to trickle down from the hole in his forehead. Tseng re-holstered his gun and took out his cell phone to call the clean-up crew to come and get the body. Then he and Rude left as quietly as they had arrived.

On the drive back to the Shin-Ra Tower, Tseng reflected on the irony of a coward such as Barton betraying Shin-Ra. The combination of stupidity and cowardice was a lethal one. Usually there was only one or the other in the people that Tseng had had to take down. People like Barton made him feel soiled. Fortunately his drive to the Shin-Ra headquarters was a short one.

Tseng entered the elevator of the Shin-Ra tower and sighed wearily. As the Director of the Turks he ranked an apartment in the Shin-Ra tower itself and at the moment he was glad of it. Following that fool all day had been tiring and he was looking forward to a long hot bath and a glass of brandy.

When he reached his apartment, he swiped his keycard in the lock and the door slid soundlessly open. Tseng stepped in and immediately stopped. There was a light coming from the livingroom and the Wutaian knew full well that he had not left a light on when he had left that morning. In addition there was soft music also coming from the livingroom.

Tseng was bewildered. If an ambush was waiting for him then why the light and the music? Nevertheless he pulled his gun out and holding it ready, moved swiftly to the entrance to the livingroom and then stepped through.

In an easy chair by the fireplace sat a young blond man with a book in his lap. The man raised his blue eyes and smiled at the Turk standing with combat ready stance, gun pointed at him.

"Are you going to shoot me, Tseng?" Rufus Shinra asked, amusement in his voice.

It was difficult to take Tseng by surprise but surprised he was and for a few seconds he could only gape at the Shinra heir before he lowered his gun and re-holstered it.

"Rufus! I thought you were in Junon?"

Rufus grimaced. "I was in Junon. But then dear father decided he absolutely had to see me face to face for no other reason than to determine if I was truly miserable. And since he has the sensitivity of a pig I was able to thwart him and convince him that I was quite cheerful which annoyed him to no end. Were you on a mission? I stopped by your office but you weren't there."

Tseng took his suit coat off and lay it across a chair. His tie soon followed. Few people ever saw the Wutaian with an open shirt. Rufus was one of the few.

"Some idiot sold plans for a Shin-Ra engine to another company...at least that's what he thought he was selling. Of course it was a setup to determine his identity." Tseng said. "We were dispatched to teach him the error of his ways."

Rufus set aside the book he had been reading while waiting for Tseng. "Did you get pictures? I'm sure father will want pictures. He's so keen on visuals you know."

Tseng shook his head. "You should be careful, Rufus. If you push him too far..."

Rufus shrugged. "He'll kill me? Hell, Tseng if he didn't have me killed after finding out that I was plotting against him I doubt he'll have me killed just for annoying him. He wants to make me miserable. That's his goal. Killing me would be too easy."

There was bitterness in Rufus' voice. Then the blond rose and came over to Tseng and put his arms around his neck. "Let's not talk about that bloated blowhard. I have to return to Junon tomorrow morning so let's make the most of it. Let's not talk about missions or plots or Shin-Ra. Let's just make our own world for tonight."

Tseng's eyes softened as he looked down into the young blond's face. He put his arms around Rufus and drew him against him before kissing him gently. Tseng pulled back and smirked at the murmur of disappointment that came from Rufus.

"Patience, love. Have you had dinner?"

Rufus' eyes open and he smirked at the older man. "Will you make me dinner?" he asked mischievously.

"I could be persuaded."

Rufus pressed his lips just under Tseng's jaw. "And how should I persuade you?"

Tseng brushed a strand of hair out of Rufus' eyes. "You already have. Dinner then drinks and then..."

Rufus grinned. "And then?" he prompted.

"We'll think of something."

Rufus laughed and the two of them went into the kitchen, enjoying each other's company. For this night at least they would set aside the predatory world of Shin-Ra.


	4. The Conversation Piece

Rating: PG

Originally posted on LJ 30 Kisses community. Theme #14.

Disclaimer: Characters and world setting are the property of Square Enix.

**A/N: **I am so sorry for the delay in updating. Back in March I slipped on ice and broke my right wrist in three places which meant I couldn't write for a couple of months. Hopefully now I will get back into the swing of updating.

**The Conversation Piece**

"Hey Boss! Look what I found!"

Both men looked up from their work, Tseng because he was Reno's immediate superior and Rufus because he was Reno's employer. So technically both of them were "Boss" to the redheaded Turk. Tseng frowned at the interruption; he and Rufus were looking over the details of a contract with a company overseas to produce parts necessary for a geothermal generator.

Gone or at least silenced were the mako reactors that had produced energy for the entire world before Sephiroth had summoned Meteor and Midgar was destroyed in the struggle between the fiery orb and the planet's lifestream. But Rufus Shinra was determined to rebuild his company and if he could not use mako reactors to provide energy then he would use other means to supply the world with the power that would keep it from falling back into the barely civilized condition it had been in before Shin-Ra had ceased to be a mere weapon supplier and had become a global energy monopoly.

"Reno," Tseng began, "You know you shouldn't just come bursting in here..."

The redhead was not deterred. "Aw come on Tseng. The two of ya could use a break."

Tseng glanced at the blond and sighed. Rufus was leaning back in his chair while a small smile played around his mouth. Usually Rufus was a workaholic but for some reason he had apparently chosen to humor Reno.

"What do you have, Reno?"

Encouraged, Reno came forward and plunked his find down on Rufus' desk. Rufus blinked at it and tilted his head to inspect the item. Then he picked it up, somewhat distastefully as there was dirt clinging to it, and inspected it further. Finally he set it down and looked up at Reno.

"What is it?"

Reno stared at him. Then he looked at Tseng who merely shrugged at him as if to say, "you're on your own on this one." He returned his stare to Rufus.

"Ya don't know what it is? Ya got to be kidding me!"

The blue eyes became icy and Rufus frowned. "If I knew what it was, I wouldn't be asking you, Reno." The President's voice had become as cold as his eyes. The knowledge that Tseng was standing just behind him and probably smirking at his sudden mood change only added fuel to his irritation.

Reno sighed. "It's a radio-cassette player." Rufus regarded him blankly. "It plays music or at least it did. See you had these cassettes you stuck in it to play. Or ya'd just turn on the radio. This thing's practically an antique. Too bad it doesn't work." The Turk regarded the player mournfully. "I'd be able to sell it then."

Rufus was a bit annoyed that he had not recognized the thing but then he had, had either radios or stereos when he had wanted music.

"Perhaps the President knows of a collector who would want it even in its present shape," Tseng said smoothly.

The President turned his head and shot a glare at the Wutain. Tseng regarded him completely unruffled.

Rufus turned back to Reno. "Never mind, Reno. And now we have work to finish..." He eyed the door to the office significantly. Reno sighed dramatically. He went to the door, opened it then turned back to the two men.

"I bring ya both a ...watta ya call it... an historical find and this is the thanks I get." He sighed again then kissed the tips of his fingers and wriggled them at the men before leaving the office and pulling the door shut behind him before Tseng could explode.

The Wutain shook his head at the redhead's latest antics and came back around the desk.

"Now we can get back to that contract," he began then abruptly stopped.

Rufus had picked the player up again and was gently shaking it. Tseng raised one eyebrow.

"Rufus?"

"Hmmm?"

"What are you doing?"

"I wonder if this thing could be fixed."

Tseng stared at him. "What in Gaia's name for?"

Rufus shrugged. "It could be a nice conversation piece..."

"Since when did you start collecting conversation pieces?"

"Well you never know. Someone might want it that we need some favor from."

Tseng's mouth fell open and he stared at the blond in disbelief. Without moving his head, Rufus raised his eyes and smirked at the expression on Tseng's face.

Tseng closed his mouth. "You're doing this just to annoy me," he accused the blond.

"Now why would I do that?"

"It's your modus operandi, Rufus."

The blond's smirk widened. "It's always good to keep one's operatives just a bit unsettled. Keeps them on their toes."

Tseng reached out and took the player from Rufus' hands and dropped it into the wastepaper basket. "I'll keep that in mind, Sir" he said when he had straightened up. "Especially tonight."

Rufus put his elbow on the desk and leaned his head on his hand. "Tonight?"

Tseng picked up the contract and settled himself in the chair he had been sitting in when Reno had burst into the room. He regarded Rufus impassively. "Certainly, tonight, Sir. I shall expect that you will do your utmost to ...unsettle me..."

Rufus' eyes widened slightly. Then his smirk returned. "Oh certainly, Tseng. By all means, I will definitely unsettle you."

There was a hint of laughter in the dark eyes then Tseng gestured at the contract. Rufus picked up his own copy of the contract and the two men returned to the business of analyzing its contents.

Tseng however reflected that perhaps Reno had been right about the break.


End file.
